


a flower unable to bloom

by Rinniebee



Series: Bloom [1]
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Aerith is the Avatar, Alternate Universe, Avatar: The Last Airbender AU, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-16 00:22:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19306858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rinniebee/pseuds/Rinniebee
Summary: Aerith has always known she’s the Avatar but her mother says that no one else in the world can know, not when the last two tried to destroy the world. FFVII/ATLA AU.





	a flower unable to bloom

**Author's Note:**

> I actually have no idea what the hell this is lmao. I was just trying to come up with ideas for what kind of benders the FFVII characters would be and then I suddenly got an itch to write Aerith as the new Avatar who is being hidden. I’ll probably expand this world but I can’t promise it’ll be any sort of long fic? Anyway!! If you like it feel free to send me prompts or ideas or whatever on tumblr @ Ribbon-Couture.

There was a man with long silver hair and glowing blue eyes in her dreams.

Aerith had not once heard him utter his own name but she knew it. Everyone knew it. He was infamous and his very presence had turned the world against her. Sephiroth, the last Avatar. Or, rather, what Gaia believed was the last Avatar.

The legend was hopeful but not accurate, Aerith knew. The avatar line continued, the spirit of Cetra reincarnated into a mortal over and over again. Aerith was this era’s Avatar but the world was not allowed to know it. They said the Avatars were cursed ever since Jenova’s reign. Sephiroth had come right after, charming and benevolent until suddenly he wasn’t. Such a fact scared Aerith right down to her core—would she go mad, too? Did the curse reach this far?

Even if it didn’t, the President would opt to kill her anyway. They would rip Cetra’s spirit from her and do away with her physical body. It was a cruel fate but no one could risk another war. After all, how could anyone, bender or non-bender alike, go up against the strongest being on the planet?

Aerith did not blame the world for its fear but she wished for once, just once, that she could see the world the way the Avatar was meant to. Mother said it was better for her to hide in Edge. No one would suspect an unassuming girl like herself to be Avatar if she kept her head down and stayed within the flower shop. She could even earth bend if she really wanted but she couldn’t do much else, not that she really even knew how. She felt like a flower unable to bloom.

A rapid knock came at her bedroom door, stirring Aerith out of her half-sleep. “Rise and shine! It’s time to wake up, my love!” Mom called. “The shop is opening in half hour and I need to run some errands. Can you water the flowers for me while I’m gone?”

“Yeah,” Aerith called back, though the word got half stuck. She cleared her throat. “I’ll be right down, Mom!”

Her mother did not respond but Aerith heard her slippered feet move down the hall. She sighed, rolling over to her nightstand to remove her phone from its charger. It came alive in her hand, it’s screen illuminated with missed notifications.

01:23AM - Zack Fair

_Hey! I know it’s late, sorry. I was wondering if you’re free tomorrow evening? There’s someone cool I want you to meet!_

Aerith worried the bottom of her lip with her teeth. Someone cool? Zack knew lots of cool people but his taste wasn’t always great. His mentor, Angeal, was exactly the kind of man Zack needed and his best friend, Cloud, was a sweet, shy boy that Aerith had found herself glancing at once or twice but then there was also Tseng and Cissnei who seemed… sneaky sometimes. Zack didn’t see what Aerith did, though. Any negative talk about his friends was met with contempt—not that Aerith really blamed him but he couldn’t blame her for being worried about him. Zack got himself into trouble all the time, so hearing about this someone cool set her on edge immediately.

With a resolved sigh, Aerith pushed herself up and out of bed. She would respond to his text message later. Mom didn’t like it when she texted Zack on the clock, anyway.

She was down in the shop and ready to open in record time. Her outfit was a pale yellow summer dress with white ditzy flowers and her auburn hair was styled back in the same long braid she’d slept in. Someone was waiting outside the doors and Aerith cocked her head to the side to get a better look. It was Tseng. How strange.

Aerith unlocked the door and flipped the sign, gesturing for him to come in before grabbing the water canteen. “Good morning, Tseng. You’re up bright and early,” she said, trying to be friendly even though he donned that awful black suit that spoke loudly of his status.

It was no surprise that the older man set her on edge but she refused to be afraid of him. He’d never done anything horrible to her and Zack was certain he was a good man despite who he worked for.

“The early bird gets the worm as they say.”

“True!” She topped the canteen into a pot of soil where her favourite yellow flowers were buried. She always watered them first. “What brings you by? A present for Elena? An anniversary perhaps?”

“No. Nothing like that. I came to see you.”

Aerith glanced at him for a moment, pulling the canteen back so she didn’t flood the flowers. “Me?”

“Aerith. You can drop the act now. Zack told me everything.”

She furrowed her brow and willed her heart to stop its racing. “Everything?” What did that mean? What had Zack said? Oh, why was he always talking?!

“About you being an earth bender. ShinRa is looking for earth bending instructors, didn't he tell you?”

“Oh!” She squeaked, hardly able to hold in her relief. “Yes, he did tell me… But I wouldn’t consider myself a master…”

Tseng made a show of looking around the shop. “Zack told me you grew all these yourself. Said your mother has a knack for killing plants but you can connect with them, keep them alive. He said that your earth bending style is more… gentle, defensive even. We’re looking for instructors with specialities. You fit the bill.”

Aerith frowned, moving on to a next set of plants. “Tseng, are you recruiting me to the military?”

“An attempt is being made, yes.

“I’m… flattered but not interested. I like working here in the flower shop. We’re thinking of expanding, adding a little coffee nook with some pastries! Mom may not be great with plants but she’s an incredible baker. Besides, the ambiance here is good for a cafe, don’t you think?”

Tseng hummed, neither in agreement or disagreement. “I’ll leave my card. Call me if you change your mind.” He didn’t give her the chance to say goodbye, as he turned hard on his heel and stalked straight out of the shop.

“Wow,” Aerith said to herself, shaking her head. “That man has no manners at all.”  She glanced at the card he’d left on the counter and bit her lip. She’d have to give Mr. Zack Fair, air bender extraordinaire,  a real big piece of her mind later.


End file.
